Direction signal for motor vehicles



H. S. HEAIRN ET AL DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed July l2. 1921 Aug. 7, 1923. 1,463,997

H. S. HEARN ET AL DIRECTION SIGNAL FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed July l2. 192.1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 t h E "IZ l guna/14.15044 HIRALVJ S. HEARN AND DENMARK intens? -I. EEARN, GF DENVER, COLORADO.

DIRECTION SGNAL FOR LIIOTOR VEHCLES..

Application led July 12,

To cZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that we, l-linAM S. HnnnN andDnNMAnn H. l-lnAnN, citizens of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented Certain new and useful lmprovements in Direction Signals for Motor Vehicles, of which the following is a speciiication. Y rlhis invention relates to an improved direction signal for motor vehicles and has as one of its principal objects to provide a practical and eifective device of this character which will greatly minimize tratiic accidents. f

The invention has as a further object to provide an arrangement wherein a signal legend may be displayed both at the front and rear of a vehicle coincidently.

A-further object of the invention is to provide a signal wherein a driver may readily indicate an intention to turn eitherf to the right or left, to stop, or to turn com,- pletely around.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signal wherein the pair of signaling devicesemployedwill also provide a means lfor supporting the license plates of the vehicle at the front and rear thereof and wherein the rear signaling device will further embody a tail light ,for the vehicle.

And the invention has as a further. object to provide' a signal which lmaybe readily employed in connection with vehicles of substantially any conventional design.

@ther and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

l ltn the drawings:

Figure 1 isa side elevation showing our improved signal in connection with a motor vehicle of conventional construction,

Figure 2 is an elevation of the rear signaling device employed,

Figure 3 is` a horizontalcsectional view through said signaling device,

Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4: of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation partly in section showing the control mechanism employed,

Figure 6 is a detail elevation of the dial used in conjunction with the control .mechanism,

Figure 7 is a detail section showing the ina-nner in which the endless cable of the vehicle.

1921. Serial No. 484,148.

control mechanism is connected with the whole by the reference characters A and B respectively, are employed, the signaling device A being` arranged upon one front fender of the vehicle while the signaling device B is arranged upon one rear fender of the rlhese devices may, however, be mounted at any other suitable points at the front and rear ofthe vehicle.

rlhe signaling' devices A `and B are substantially identical in construction and each includes a preferably cylindrical metal cas` ing 11 closed at its ends by heads 12 which maybe of wood. At its forward side, the casing is provided with a sight window 13. levoluble in the easing is a signaling drum lt which, like the casing, may also be formed of suitable sheet metal, and closing the drum at its ends are heads 15 which, like the heads 12, may be of wood. Extending through one of the heads 12 and through the heads 15 of the drum is a shaft 16 ary ranged axially of the casing and journaled in thc other of the heads 12 of the casing. The drum is, of course, fixed upon this shaft to turn therewith vand fitting through the shaft to coact with the drum heads 15 are pins 17 tightly securing the drum against longitudinal movement upon said shaft. it its outer end, the shaft carriesl apulley 18; Suitably imposed upon the drum at appropriate points spaced circumferentially thereof are the signaling legends VRight, Left, Stop and Return, respectively, which, by rotation of the drum, may be selectively brought into position opposite the sight window 13. Anglebrackets 19 are secured tothe casing '11 near the ends thereof, said brackets being arranged at the lower Side of the casing and providing not only a means whereby the casing may be secured to the vehicle by suitable .fastening devices extending through the brackets, but also providing a means for supporting a license plate which may be bolted or otherwise secured to the vertical portions of the brackets.

L/L juxtaposition .to said sight window. Mediallyv of the hood at its junction with the re-V flector 21 is formed a lamp casing 22 which carries a lens 23, the casingbeing open at its lower side. The lens of the lamp of the signaling device B is preferably tinted red so that the lamp` of this Vsignaling' device will provide a tail light in the rear of the vehicle'. Mounted in the vback wall of the casing 22 is la lamp socket in which is ably fittedwan electric lamp 24 and secured to the casing 1l to extend upwardly thereover toward the lamp casing is a conduit 25 in which are arranged circuit wires 26 leading to the lamp. Current'niay be supplied from the battery of the vehicle or other approved source of electrical energy thereonV and, as will be seen,when Ythelamp is energized, the reflector 21 will direct the light "rays emanating from the lamp downwardly against the sight window 13 to illuminate any signaling` legend displayed by the signalingdrum at said window.

In conjunction .with the signaling devicesA and B, vwe employ a control mechanisin therefor. This control mechanism inV cludes, as particularly shown in Figure 5,

acontrol shaft 27- to which is connected, byl

a suitable universal joint, a rearwardly inclined control rod 28. Supporting' this rod adjacent the Vsteering post is a bracket 29 engaged with the post and associated with the rod near its upper end is a dial 30. Surrounding the dial is a split clamping band 31'extended to form a split collar 32 engaging around the post for supporting the upper end portion of the rod with respect to the post. As shown in Figure 6, the diall is preferably laid off in segments, one of which is blank while the remaining segments carry the'words Right, Left, Stop and Return, respectively. VProjecting'rfrom the rod.28 to cooperate `with the dial is a pointer 33 and mounted upon the upper en-:l ofthe rod is a .hand wheel 34. Mounted upon thelower end of the shaft 27 is a pulley 35 around which is wrapped an Vendless `cable 36. This cable is trained around appropriately located pulleys 37 and, as shown in Figure 1, is engaged with the pnl# leys 18 of the signaling devices A and B. Interposed in the length of the cable are tensioning springs 38 and securing the cable tothe pulley 37 is, ,as shownin detail in Figure 7, a U-bolt 39.

As willnow be readily understood in view of the preceding description, by rotating the x Y 53. This taneously rotated to display like signaling legends at the front and rear of the vehicle. The dial 30 and pointer 33 provide, of

course, means whereby the driver ofthe Yvehicle may properly set theY drums to dismoved to overlie any one of the segmentsV labeled Stop, Left and Return, a like signaling legend will, in each instance, be displayed by the drums. The signaling legend YReturn is provided to indicate an intention of the driver to turn completely around.

In Figure 8 of they drawings, we have illustrated a slightly modified control mechanism. In this gure the vehicle dash Vis indicated at 40, the hood offthe vehicle engine at 4l, the usual brace rod under-the hood at 42, and the steering post ofthe ve-v hicle at 43. The signaling drum pulleys of the signaling devices are indicated at 18. Journaled through the dash 40 is a control shaft 44'supported at its forward `end by l a bracket 45 depending'from the rod 42` and connected to said shaft by a'suitable universal joint is 'a controlV rod 46 journaled 'through a suitable bracket 47 uponr the steering post 43. At its reargend, this rod carries ahand wheel 48 andpreferably, a

similar wheel 49 is arranged upon the rear end portion of the shaft"44. Securedv to the dash is a dial 50 corresponding to the dial 30 of the preferred construction, and extendingrfrom` the shaft is a pointer 5l corresponding to the pointer 33. Fixed to the forward end portion of the shaft is a pulley 52. with which is connected' a cable cable is trained around appropriately located pulleys gaged with the pulleys 13a. Thus, as will be seen, the rod 46 may be turned for rotating the pulleys 18a and operating the signaling devices.. Y

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as newY is :V

Vl. In a directionsignal for motorvehicles, the combination of a signaling device, a cable actuating said device, a' control shaft having a pulley thereon engaged with the cable, a rotatable handv operated control rod Vextending in angular relation'to the shaft, and a universal joint connecting said control rod with said shaft whereby the rod be turned for driving 'said cable. Y V

2. The combination'with a motor vehicleihaving a steering post, of a signaling device, a'cable actuating said device,a control shaft having a pulley thereon engaged with the cable, a hand operated control rod 54 and is en#V extending upwardly along the steering post ing the dial and engaged with the post sup-y porting the dial and rod with respect to the post.

3. ln a direction signal for motor vehcles, a cylindrical casing having a longitudinally extending sight window, a signaling drum rotatable within the casing and visible through said window, a tangentially disposed hood extending rearwardly from the upper side of the casinggto overhang 15 said sight window and provided with end walls engaging the casing to support the hood with respect thereto, the hood having a free outer margin directed downwardly to form a reeetor extending in juxtaposition to said sight opening, a rnedally disposed lamp easing upstanding from the hood at the inner edge of said reflector, the

`lamp casing being open at its lower side beneath the hood and at its rear end above the reflector, and a transparency closing the rear end of said lamp casing.

In testimony whereof we aix our signatures.

HIRAM S. HEARN. [Ls] DENMARK H. HEARN. [1.. s.:| 

